Deutsche Welle CULTURE COLUMN 12th October 2012. HERE.
Berlin is poor but sexy, people say. So poor, that many inhabitants sublet their flats to tourists in order to pay their monthly rent. And so sexy, that everyone is crazy about taking the offer.
I though it was a joke when I first heard that a jobless friend of a friend had rented a tent on the sandy beaches at Tropical Islands - an amusement park just outside of Berlin - in order to sublet his flat for the entire winter. But it was true: The guy is still living there and enjoying the artificial balmy climate rather than the dreary Berlin drizzle - for only 59 euros ($76) a month. Meanwhile, his apartment is available for paying tourists who cover not just his rent, but also enough extra to make unemployment a comfortable lifestyle.
I still have a job, but I'll definitely keep this idea in mind for the day I get fed up with the Berlin winter.
It seems to be a global trend for people to sublet their apartments to tourists who'd rather not pay hotel prices. But in Berlin, this kind of business is becoming an alternative way of living.
 |
| At Tropical Islands, you can rent a tent and stay over night |
The 'Mr. Right' apartment
There are numerous online platforms where people can advertise and rent out flats on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. "More value for your money," "More privacy," "Get to know the local lifestyle" - slogans like these attract millions of tourists to Berlin apartments.
They pay less and the tenant is happy to earn some extra money, often under the table. A win-win situation, plus home-made coffee, fresh bread from the local bakery and a washing machine.
That is, as long as the landlord doesn't know anything about it. And usually he doesn't, in a city where people move in and out like mad, constantly adjusting their apartment to their ever-changing lifestyle - smaller, bigger, cheaper, more luxurious. In Berlin, finding the perfect apartment is like finding the perfect partner: It can take years. And until then, you have to settle for short-term solutions.
Collateral damage
According to the Berlin Hotel Association (DEHOGA), there are between 15,000 and 25,000 holiday apartments in the city. But only 31 businesses, incorporating 2,729 beds, are legally registered.
Where, I wonder, are the other 10,000 odd Berliners are living? Probably at friends' places.
I should know better. I used to host a friend every now and then for a few weeks; she had lost her job and desperately needed to sublet her flat in downtown Berlin. She quickly created an ad with pictures for one of the many online platforms.
A piece of cake. The offers kept coming and, with the rental price of a few days, my friend could finance the rent for the whole month. Her two-bedroom flat with a balcony could house a whole family for 90-100 euros a day, so just over a week of subletting covered her monthly bill.
"There appears to be no rule against holiday renting in Berlin," I just read on 9fkats.com, one of the most popular flat rental websites at the moment.
There may be a bit a grey area between the lines, but if you want to stay on the legal side, you definitely have to ask your landlord for permission and register your business with the local tax authorities. Berliners, it seems, are much more willing to share with tourists than with the state.
Keeping everyone happy
Especially if they want to finance their own holidays this way. A good friend of mine moved to Berlin a few years ago and, as he says, often couldn't make ends meet. So when returned to the UK for a week or so, he would rent out his room.
"My rent was 250 euros a month," he told me, "and I would charge that much for a whole week. Everyone was happy." Most of his visitors fit into the 18-to-30-year-old backpacker category, from the US or other European countries.
Literally tens of thousands of Berliners are doing the same - to the dissatisfaction of some hotel owners who have started complaining about unfair competition. As Europe's third popular tourist destination after London and Paris, Berlin attracts about 10 million visitors a year, so I don't think the hotel industry is significantly endangered by the clandestine subletters.
 |
If you're lucky, a private sublet can be more luxurious than a hotel
|
Another trendy - and legal - way to make use of your home and save money for travel is the house exchange concept, like in the movie "The Holiday:" The character played by Kate Winslet exchanges her cottage near London for a luxury mansion in L.A. belonging to a movie trailer producer played by Cameron Diaz.
"Simply post information about your house swap offer including your preferred destination and dates. Once a match is made, it's up to you and your exchange partner to work out the details," according to homeexchangeplace.com. Members pay a yearly membership fee and can choose from thousands of homes all over the world - if they can find a match with someone who wants to stay in their place. But you could get lucky, like Winslet's character or a friend of mine, who once exchanged her flat in Berlin for a villa with pool in Mexico.
The trick, of course, is to live in a place where others go on holiday. Your cramped one-bedroom in exciting Berlin might be worth beach-front property in the Caribbean or, if not, at least an artificial blue lagoon for 59 euros a month. Basically all you need is Berlin and one of its many roofs above your head.
This article is very interesting for me, because I can see the new business land. I have know about this kind of business before, I think this is can be called home stay, but with some changes. In Berlin this is very interesting that when the owners go for their vacation, the rent expense will also bill for them, while they know that they not enjoy the service, so why they think it's better to rent their tent, apartment or other places to stay.
ReplyDeleteAs a tourist they can enjoy the place to stay that really proper with their money, may be backpacker would rather choose the tent with cheaper cost. Many tourist can find the hotel or other place to stay in Berlin by visiting web homeexchangeplace.com, that is very useful link to choose the best place to stay in Berlin. Someday I will visit Berlin and I check homeexchange.com and I will find my proper place to stay. Because this kind of business, I mean owner rent their house to other tourist is really give big benefit, not only for the owner but also for the tourist. For the tourist they can find cheaper place to stay, or the more luxurious place more than hotel facilities for stay, depend on their financial capability. For the owner absolutely they can cover the rent bill that they not really enjoy that by renting their house to tourist.
Well this is a very good news from backpackers indeed. Travelling to another country while having the comfort of a home? Who would reject that, especially with a price cheaper than most hotels? You could wash your own laundry, cook your own meal and won't have to worry about formalities and tipping the room services. It really is a great deal for those who are visiting Berlin on a budget plan.
ReplyDeleteThese kinds of apartments being rented for tourists would stimulate tourism which is beneficial for the local communities, but all of this is taking a toll on local hotels in Berlin. Maybe the government should conduct a survey to further study the effects of this trend on the local hotel businesses and economy. If this trend is actually helping out the community economically more than compromising the hotel business, the government should regulate the businesses so that it is a win-win situation for the concerned parties.
The concept of renting your apartment to tourists is a really good idea in my opinion. As the article states, it is a “win-win situation”. Tourists coming to Berlin can save money when living in someone else’s flat. It is cheaper and a whole apartment offers the possibility to cook on your own and you have a lot of space. The people who rent their apartment can get additional money if they are not in town anyway. But I wonder if sometimes it doesn’t feel strange to live in a flat of someone you don’t know or to know that people that you’ve never seen before are living in your house. It is interesting that some people even use this opportunity to make money and for that move to a friend’s house or live in a tent. In Germany and, I think also in the rest of the world, there is also the concept of “couch-sharing” which means that you can find people on the internet and sleep at their couch for a couple of nights. Like this you can save money and make new friends.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of giving your flat to tourists and earning additional money seems to be pretty good and as the article shows also very popular. Especially in Berlin where so many people are travelling to every year and most of them are backpackers or tourists that don´t require a five-star hotel but want to experience the real Berlin way of life. Speaking for myself, I couldn´t imagine renting my flat and living in a tent in Tropical Island, which I think is a quite weird way of earning money. I would also not want to have strangers in my flat, that use all of my staff as it was their own and that can see all of my personal belongings like pictures. I think I would feel uncomfortable all the time not knowing what they are doing in my flat. But when you don´t care about other people living in your home, why not?! And especially the idea of exchanging flats for vacation is really nice. Therefore you don´t have to look for hotels and you also have the comfort of an own house on holidays. And when you are really lucky you will get an amazing villa in exchange for your ordinary flat in Germany.
ReplyDeleteSubletting the flat for 250 € per week is quite expensive and I wonder that some people seem to be willing to pay that amount of money.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think this system would not only work in Berlin but also in other German bigger cities like Munich or in general for every attractive city worldwide like Jogja.
So I started to check the page and they have some opportunities in Bali that sound really interesting: Ubud, Sanur and Kuta Bali. What a pity that I didn’t know that when I went to Bali. I might have accepted their offer for a week-end stay.
However, I really like this idea and maybe consider that for the future. But if I did that in Germany I might lock one room or drawer where I put everything inside what nobody should see. So I could be sure that nothing of my private belongings get exposed to strangers.
"Subletting the flat for 250 € per week is quite expensive and I wonder that some people seem to be willing to pay that amount of money."
DeleteHow much does seven nights in a Berlin hotel cost?
I think 250€ per weeks is rather cheap than expensive. A good 3* hotel in a central location can easily cost you more than a 100 euros per night. Nicer hotels like the marriott, hilton, astoria waldorf etc. will be even way more expensive. Of course, you can stay at a cheap hostel for less than 20€ per night if you are travelling all by yourself, but I think for couples or families this deal sounds great. I mean we are talking here about a whole apartment with a kitchen, bathroom etc. and not just a bed. I guess it always depends on who you are travelling with and what you are looking for.
DeleteThis is valuable information! When I go to Berlin, I would like to try this offer. But like the article said, looking for a suitable place to stay is hard. Maybe the plumbing didn’t really work well. The toilet didn’t clean. Or maybe, there is some problem with the neighbor.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if I want to easily enjoy the city, I prefer using the hotel. In the hotel, we can get what we want. But in this kind of ‘another person houses’, we didn’t know what will happen right? Maybe they set up some video recorder, or something. This kind of factor is what makes me thinking twice to take this offer. If the hotel is a lot safer than this, I will go to the hotel. After all, using the hotel services is a lot more easy than do it by yourself.
Well, this is just my personal opinion about this business. Because I see a lot of negative thing that could happen in this kind of stay.
Well I think this kind of business is very clever, although it may cost you your comfort of being inside of your own apartment, because you sublet it. But it does give you profit what so ever. I still can’t figure out what are the disadvantages for the business, because as far as I understand, it doesn't seem so formal. So tourists should be careful when renting apartments, wherever they go.
ReplyDeleteI’m so glad that there is exchange system which is legal and also convenient. But I think it’s quite hard to find other people who would exchange their luxurious place for crappy apartments. The bonus is, tourists get place to stay with cheap price rather than staying in hotels, they get to live and know Berlin’s surroundings (that’s the essence of traveling to me, getting to know everything that happens in the surrounding), the people who sublet their apartments too, they earn additional money.
This kind of business was already exists in South East Asia countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and even Indonesia (especially in Bali). For backpackers, this is an alternative way to stay besides the guest house and motel. It's cheaper than hotels and maybe the rooms are wider than hotel rooms, we can get more privacy, and we can interact with local environment. When I and my family went to Malaysia and Singapore, we rent an apartment room. The owner was on vacation so he rent his apartment room. The room was not only rented by us, we shared the room with 2 other families but of course with different bedroom. So I agree with the win-win solution, benefit for the tourists and for the tenants.
ReplyDeleteAbout the home exchange concept, it's a very fascinating concept. But it's depends on our luck. If we have a great luck, maybe we could exchange a small flat with a big villa near the beach. But if we are unlucky, it's possible to exchange a small flat with a smaller flat.
When I read this article, I just remember about my vacation to Singapore several month ago with my friends. I stayed in a unique-concept of hostel and of course the cost is cheap. They can maximilize the hostel even they just have a little place but still comfort to guess who stay there.
ReplyDeleteThis article really interesting, we know that Berlin is a big city with high living cost. So, this article maybe will be a solution tourist who will use their money efficiently. It is funny to know there is someone who had rented the tent on the sandy park. It is a great idea to doing business and I think it can be applied in Bali. I'm pretty sure, tourist will like this concept especially with the cheap rate.
About the rent of apartment, I think many countries has the same concept as this whether the tenant is not stay in apartment meanwhile the guess rent.
All of these concept are interesting. But the quality that we get is depend on the money we spend, except if you are the lucky person. Usually, we will do not have our privacy if staying in these place because we live with the other who also rent there, not like a hotel. But the value is, we can make interaction to the new people when we go vacation to Berlin.
This is a good business that gives advantage for the Berlins that want their house to be rented for tourists that come from many different countries. The income tourists have other choices for them to stay when they are in Berlin. Usually the tourists choose hotel. But nowadays, the tourists can rent the Berlin’s people house to be their house for a moment. For the Berlins this is a chance and business for them because they could get some money for the rent fee. For the tourists, this rented house has advantages because they will feel like they’re stay in their own house, complete with the facilities. However, this rented house could be more expensive than if they stay in hotel. If the price is cheaper, of course the tourists will feel more comfortable and private. They will be easier to chat with the people around. It is better than if they stay in the hotel and couldn’t cheat or know the people around.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteEver since I saw the movie «the Holiday» I have wanted to try the house exchange concept. It could probably be because the house in the movie is so big and nice, but it also seems like a nice and cheaper way to spend a holiday. Then you can use more money on cool stuff to do while you are there. My hometown is small but really beautiful. In the summertime it's a lot of tourists there so I'm sure I could get someone to do an exchange with me. One problem could be that my family are also staying there so I have to convince them to do it. Maybe my mum would be a bit nervous to leave all our private stuff to some strangers, you just have to find someone that seems trustworthy and you can just lock inside the stuff you care most for. At least I would like to try it when I get my one house.
I actually just heard about this type of business in Berlin after reading this article. I think it’s pretty cool that people are able to get money only by renting their place and that these people are willing to not live in their own condo just to get money. Besides the owner gaining profit from renting, this is also a great deal for travelers as well, since they get a place to say for a lower price compared to hotels. Though this type of place to stay would be suitable for those who travels to feel how its like to be living in Berlin, since there wont be any services such as room service, breakfast and housecleaning. But even though it’s a good deal, we (as travelers) have to be aware when choosing the right condo to rent. We don’t know who these people are since they are complete strangers so we just have to be careful.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know, I guess for me I’ll still prefer to stay in a hotel where it’s more trustworthy. Unless I know someone or have a relative, who knows they’ll rent their place for me to stay.
The Opportunity is all about the way how we create or read the situation, so we can gain something beneficial. It is proved by the way how the Berlin’s society read the opportunity. The Berlin’s people sublet their appartments to tourists. The appartment will cost cheaper than the hotel. So, the tourists will prefer to stay in the appartments better than to pay hotel prices. The appartment also can be rent out daily, weekly or even monthly. It absolutely can reduce the expense for renting the place to stay. The owners of the appartment prefer to stay in the tenant better than they appartment. Because they think that they will gain more revenue. If the appartment is subleted, while they are living in the tenant, it means that they will have more profit because the revenue is bigger than the expense. But unfortunately, the bad impact is the collateral damage. The owner of the appartment often run the illegal business, because they do not register their appartment to be subleted. It causes the owner to be free from tax, and it makes the Berliners seems like they are more willing to share with tourists than with the state.
ReplyDeleteWell, someday if I go there, I probably will choose to stay in the appartment with the legal permission. Because as the article mentioned, the sublet can be more luxurious than a hotel. So I can get more pleasure to live in the sublet, with the lower expense.
I think this is a good and informational article. I’ve heard a lot about people rent his or her flat to backpackers and some tourists. I think this is a new trend in business. This is also really big opportunity for people that need money, but only having room or house to rent. Many people, just like in Indonesia, do the same thing. Honestly, I’m surprised to read that the rent cost is enough to pay cost living, just like the girl that mentioned in the article that had lost her job. I think this is a win-win situation. Especially for backpackers that need place to stay but not having much money. Renting a flat sometimes is much better than staying in hotel. Most of flats usually have more furniture to use for weeks than hotels. I really interested in renting a tent in Tropical Island. That’s sound amazing. For me, maybe I will rent a flat if I go to holidays for long times.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this idea could be used in Indonesia, maybe if I have my own apartment, I will give it a shot. Subleting apartment or flat is somehow a brilliant idea in my opinion. It’s a win-win solution: the owner and the renter both happy. The renter will have a place to sleep with lower price than hotels, while the owner can receive money to finance the rent.
ReplyDeleteBut, I think this business should be regulated by government in order to keep it on the track and have the same standard to pleasure renters. Since there are many holiday flats which have not been registered yet.
Based on this article, the ads they make is something really attractive, just like "More value for your money," "More privacy," or "Get to know the local lifestyle". I really like the “Get to know the local lifestyle”, it is very attractive to me, by renting native’s apartment we can know the local lifestyle of the natives.
In the end, I really like this Idea, and I think I will give it a try in the future.
I think the idea of renting your apartmen for tourists such an old concept that has been applied in many contries with the largest tourism destination. Because most of travelers tend to spend their travelling cost as minimum as possible during the trip, so living in a rented apartmen can be the best decision for reducing the living cost in host country where we visited, like Germany. But, it’s hardly imagine understanding the concept about exchange apartment, if we can rent our apartment then the fortune teller along with us so the luxury mansion in tropical island is in our hand, (although just temporary). Maybe this idea will find it’s difficulties when applied in Indonesia because basically people in Indonesia do not really easier trust another, especially strangers. So, for this one it doesn’t really fit in with the condition at certain places. On the other hand, the most important things we should consider before renting an apartment in terms of preventing the problems about privacy, security or comfortability, the tenants have to prepare the interior and exterior property that suitable for vacation rental. It's better to make sure that both the interior and exterior of the apartment are appropriate for travelers. As we know, when people travel and rent vacation homes or apartments, the main purpose is to make sure everything works and nothing is broken.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting! And the idea of exchanging houses is just exciting! I watched the movie “The Holiday” and I loved it. It is so fun to exchange house with stranger in different country with different culture. We'd get to know more of the local lifestyle if we stay in local houses rather than if we stay in a hotel room. And of course, the cost for the whole holiday will be much smaller because we don't have to pay for the house since we're exchanging houses. But I think the tricky part of this is to find the right time with the right people. It will be quite difficult to find somebody that will have the same time for holiday like ours. But still, I think it's a very good idea and definitely goes to my checklist of things to do.
ReplyDeleteRenting houses is booming in Yogyakarta as well. My mum and dad are also doing something like that. They made a nice house two years ago, two stories with a swimming pool on the back, and planned to live there. But somehow the plan canceled and the house was vacant. We used to stay there on the weekends. So my mum started to rent the house per night. It's quite surprising how high is the demand for a house rent in Yogyakarta. Like when big families are on vacation, they would prefer a house rather than a hotel. So it's going very well until now. The house is making quite some money for us.
This kind of news is very interesting. For me is the first time I heard about news that people really prefer to live in tent even in the bad whether than in their own home, because their home was been rent by the tourist. Maybe in terms of comfort it is very uncomfortable because you living in a tent and sleep on the sleeping bag instead of living in home and sleep on the bed. And also to live in a tent you have to be ready of the uncertain weather that you will face. But if you see in terms of financial it is gain a lot of profit.
ReplyDeleteFor tourist, rent an apartment like this, is very advantage because it can reduce your expenditure. If you travel to other country you can switch your apartment with your friends or other people who want to travel to your country. It also can reduce your expenditure. So it is one of easy way that you can apply on your vacation.
-anne
The idea of subletting your apartment to strangers sounds a bit off to me. Apart from having to make sure the tenants are good folk (like the problem we usually face in this country), there is a matter of personal belonging. Where to put it all, would you have to regularly move, and cleaning up the mess.
ReplyDeleteAnother question you could ask is "How would the renter of the apartment deal with matters of insurance?" I mean if anything broke and the people staying hid this fact after leaving; or even worse, they might stay a couple of nights, suck the place dry, and skip town before anyone ever finds out. There are just too many uncertainties, with subletting to strangers.
I know I’m being skeptic, but the facts I mentioned above are only the potential concerns of Berliners subletting their apartments. There are bound to be other issues involved, concerning the tourists or even the Berlin government. That’s why I think it should be in the Berliners best interest that they get an official license for their business; so if anything goes wrong, they’ll be backed up by the law.
To add, If I were in the tourists' shoes, I would stay at a hotel. Where the conditions are safer and more assured, even if it costs an extra buck, the sense of security and reassurance will make up for it.
I found this article is quite useful for backpackers who want to save more money on accommodation so they can use it for other things like entertainment and shopping. It’s always been my dream to backpack all around the world but I need to find that kind of cheap accommodation because we, travellers, spend so much money for flight tickets, meals, transportation, and hotel. At this kind of apartments, we can find the facilities and location that are suitable for us. The regulation is also more flexible rather than most hotels’ are but I’m wondering about the security because the security is not guaranteed. I’m just imagining what if the owner does crime or what if he wants to kidnap us, I don’t know whether that’s just my overthinking mind or if there is a possibility for that condition to happen. I think the government also needs to do more research about the significance of the taxes unpaid by those illegal ‘hotels’ eventhough there is still a huge number of tourists who choose legal hotels.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool idea, especially for backpackers. Some people want to travel around the world but they want to save money as much as they could. I like traveling so much, like Tunjung said i also want to travel around the world. Traveling around the world is in my bucket list. But of course, i don't want to spend too much money.
ReplyDeleteSubletting house or apartments is such a good business. Because there are a lot of people nowadays like to traveling so this kind of business i'm sure will give some advantages. Even though i know, it's also quite dangerous. We can't guarantee the salvation of the travelers or the owners' house.The owner might do some crime or the travelers might steal some things from the house or apartments.
But, I honestly want to try this kind of experience. One day when i have a chance to travel to Germany, I will not stay in hotel but in someone’s house or apartments.
This article is quite interesting for me. The idea of renting your flat-house to cover up your rent expense is pretty smart. I mean it’s really profitable. You just need to lend your house for a couple days and you can pay the monthly rent. Maybe at first you can’t even pay your monthly rent but then you lend your flat-house for a longer period of time like a month and suddenly you’ve enough money to pay the whole year rent. Of course you’ll have to be a homeless person in that period of time, but it worth, at least if you only see it through the profit perspective.
ReplyDeleteDespite the disturbance that you will make for your friend or maybe people in your new ‘home’ at that period of time, it’s a good tactic to do a business. People who did this must be really aware of the value of his/ her home location. They have to observe his/ her environment first to come out with this decision. I don’t think they just got this idea without realizing the value of it and I think it’s a good example for Indonesian people. It doesn’t mean that I suggest Indonesian people to rent his/ house and move in to his/ her best friend’s house, but all I want to say is we, Indonesian, must be utilizing our ‘value’ more to achieve a better economic condition.
This is an interesting article. I just found out that Berlin has this kind of offer. I think it’s a win-win solution for the owner and the tourist. The owner can get money from renting their flat in a short term and the tourist can get more freedom and pay less money than they usually spent to rent a room in a hotel. However, as a tourist, there are some things that must be considered before renting someone else’s house. Like, is the house or flat is located in the good location or near the tourist spot. Is it located in a safe location? There are also issued about the hygiene. And there are also people who cheat, they put the good picture to give a good image, but the truth is, it is not the exact situation. So we should be more careful in choosing a place to stay. And for the owner, they don’t know who the people that rent their flat are. There’s no guarantee that it’s only an ordinary tourist. It could be an international outlaw. If we are not careful, we could be drag into their crime.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened in Germany about apartment renting, it is also happen in Singapore. I found this kind of business when I went to Singapore few years ago. At that time, my family and I stayed in the one of apartments in Singapore. The apartment is in the Orchard Tower. The apartment is consist of 3 bedrooms. We lived there with other 2 families but in the different bedroom. The owner of the apartment was not lived there anymore so he rented his apartment. We lived there just for 170$ Singapore per night, it is cheaper than if we stayed in the hotel. Even though it is not comfortable to share the apartment with others visitors, at least we have a place to sleep. It was kind of wasting money if I stayed in hotel that set high cost to stay, because I spent most of my time outside the hotel. We went in the morning, and go back to the apartment in the late of night.
ReplyDeleteCreative people use this opportunity to make a business, because innovation is needed when you running a business.
I hardly believe that such business actually exists, especially in a developed country such as Germany. It is indeed tantalizing to merely rent your apartment for tourists and still able to live comfortably without any job. The tent to live seems cozy and the place is quiet okay to stay for a while. Moreover, this sensational business is considered normal in Berlin. It is a shame that we couldn’t do this kind of business in Indonesia. This business is considered as unorthodox here, and there is no comfortable place to stay with tent to boot.
ReplyDeleteTo imagine myself as a tourist, I do agree with those unexceptional slogans: "More value for your money," "More privacy," "Get to know the local lifestyle". Of course I want to try the local lifestyle with cheaper price; that is why this business is sounds attractive. I believe that most of the apartment will not as perfect as it sounds, but it still a good offering for a foreign tourist.
It’s so interesting to know that there’s this kind of business in Berlin. I think this is so brilliant and useful for both sides. I would like to use this reference in the future. Home exchange is a good way for tourists who want to spend their holiday in a unique way. ‘Having’ a house overseas can be a great experience because they can live normally like the other people there. Although it’s someone else’s home, you can experience the feeling of living as a normal citizen. Of course it will be very different if you stay at a hotel, especially if the fee is more expensive than the rent itself. This business brings a lot of benefits for the owners who don’t want to stay in Berlin at a certain season. While the tourists enjoy their holiday at their ‘new’ home, the owners can also enjoy their time at a new place in another country. I think that’s so fun. For tourists who have never been in their destination, it will be hard for them to find and choose a good place to stay. I think with this home exchange, it will be easier for them to make a choice. It’s good to know that there are many countries that have adapted this business already, and I hope the others can do it as well.
ReplyDeleteFor me this is a new thing, I just know that there is this kind of business in berlin, in my perspective this is a very interesting business, in addition to price much cheaper than the hotel, we will also gain experience to become a citizen berlin, in in this house we will have the experience to actually live a berlin lifestyle. while their owners will also benefit as the cost of renting out his apartment, I agree that the article says that this condition is a win-win solution for both parties involved will benefit, rather than letting her empty apartment, it is better to rent them out to the tourist. in Jogja I've never seen anything like this, but I think this is a business that is worth the try here, if I was to berlin then I would definitely try one of the apartments that are rented out by their owners.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting for me. It gives new information and tips for the travelers especially backpackers, so they can spend less money, and they don't have to spend much money to pay the hotel room. They can stay in the rent’s apartments.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of renting the flat for the tourist is very smart. Like what was written in this article, when they need money or don’t have any job, they just need to sublet their flat in downtown Berlin. Instead of do crimes or be beggars, they can earn some money with subletting their flat. Just create an ad with pictures, then the offers will keep coming and, with the rental price of a few days, they can finance the rent for the whole month. Indeed, it is really profitable and a very smart way to earn some money.
And I think, it is very helping the backpackers who travel with not really much money. Instead of pay and stay in the expensive hotel, they could stay in the cheap rent. And also like what was written in the article, if you're lucky, a private sublet can be more luxurious than a hotel.
This is so unique. Renting your house is common, only if you have another place to stay. I am surprised that in Berlin, renting your apartment or house is an alternative way of living. I never thought about this kind of business so far.
ReplyDeleteI even more surprised knowing the profit in this business. No wonder they don’t mind living somewhere else and sublet their apartment and house. Even though Berlin is the Europe’s third popular tourist destination and attract about 10 million visitors, I still think the hotel industry can be endangered, especially small hotels.
The house exchange concept is really interesting. It is sure a brilliant way to press your budget if you want to go on a holiday. I should try doing this one day.
With everyone using Internet these days, it is even easier to find a place to stay when you are traveling. I found this website called couchsurfing, where you can stay at someone’s place for free and you can also have someone staying at your place.
This article so amazed. I haven’t heard this one before. In my opinion, this opportunity of business seems to be seen. Usually, I called it Homestay. 250 € it seems so cheap or quite efficient if you stay here rather than hotels. From what I knew, stay in hotel in Berlin even 3-stars hotels exactly still more expensive than stay at that ‘Homestay’. As we knew from the slogans of the text "More value for your money”, “more privacy”, “get to know the local lifestyle” it has a relation from my explanation above about one of three benefits from the slogans. But there’s still two benefits again it was privacy and you will know better the local lifestyle. Lived at a house make you have more privacy than you live at hotel, because it looks like you stay at your own house. Usually, it’s located in residences it means there’s neighborhood around it. So, you will get to know the local lifestyle better than you live at hotel.
ReplyDelete“I though it was a joke when I first heard that a jobless friend of a friend had rented a tent on the sandy beaches at Tropical Islands - an amusement park just outside of Berlin - in order to sublet his flat for the entire winter.” What people do around the world are sometimes sounds ridiculous for us, because their ideas and point of view are different. But if I were a Berlin, I probably would sublet my apartment or flat too. Living in a tent for the entire winter is not a bad thing to do. I can invite my closest friend and families to accompany me during the season. And we could get money from the tourists too. “My rent was 250 euros a month," he told me, "and I would charge that much for a whole week. Everyone was happy.” Western tourists usually don’t care about where will they sleep, because they’ll go out for outdoor stuffs and don’t have much hours left to sleep. Once, I saw a couple tourists sleeping with their big backpack or carrier in Soekarno-Hatta Airport, in Jakarta. I confused at first, but then my mother explained why did they do that. Now, I understand why they don’t care about the place where they’re going to sleep, they really considering the budget. It’s worth for them to sleep in the Airport then to sleep in a hotel but can’t try other outdoor stuffs. Thank you for reading.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis might be a decent business in the up coming future. This is actually bizzare from my point of view. But then again this a smart idea. People should often do this, renting a flat when we need money could lead us good wealth. As they say, "More value for your money," This is also a benefit for backpackers that need a place to stay and for tourists who'd rather not pay hotel prices. It also will save lots of their money. This would obviously keep everyone happy if they want to finance their own holidays this way. The bad side is that, it could cause an unfair competition for some hotel industries, but I think it wouldn't be significantly endangered if the visitors in Berlin were about 10 milion a year. I would definitely choose the apartment whenever I go to Berlin to gain an experience and know how nice it is to feel Berlin as your own home.
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed a smart move to combat debts and unemployment. Maybe later on, when I’m old and retired I could apply their house rent concept and still earn money in my old days. Additional income from renting your house could pay off debts and maybe help you out financially. Indeed, tourists especially backpackers prefer a budget hotel with cheap price. As an alternative, renting a house gives them the benefit to actually immerse in the culture of the locals, their clothes are washed, and there’s the homemade breakfast as well. A home exchange is a fun and exciting concept as well. I would like to try it later on when I own a house. Who knows? I could be lucky enough to swap house and stay at a luxurious villa or resort. However, I am somewhat concerned on issues such as stealing, or vandalism of the house. It would be best to leave someone behind during your exchange to make sure that the tourist won’t do anything weird around the house.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the header I thought it was about the hospitality that Germans have towards new comers and tourist. After I read the whole article, I came to a conclusion that it was way more than that, people are renting their homes and flat for tourists. This is something genius and dangerous for the same time? It benefits both tourist and the owner of the flats, for the travellers they can stay comfortably and can use the leftover money to visit places. They could save money by cooking their own food rather than by meals at the restaurant, and it’s cheaper than paying hotels. For owners, even though they are homeless, they get easy money; their only asset is their flat. But on the downside, I think it’s risky that the travelers could steal valuable items and house appliances. Who would know and guarantee they would do otherwise? They could break our furniture or trash our flat and we are left to clean it after. For the travelers, I don’t think it’s safe to just sleep at someone’s house, and you don’t really know them. They could kidnap, video, or even steal their money.
ReplyDelete